All Opinion articles – Page 28
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Opinion
Advertising transfer values: trustee duty or danger to members?
When trustees at the Rexam Pension Plan noticed a substantial spike in defined benefit transfers out of the scheme last year, it seemed like good news.
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OpinionTransparency welcome, but method for managing info yet to be agreed
The increased scrutiny of investment costs by UK pension schemes is gradually resulting in greater transparency, yet despite the requirement for transaction costs to be disclosed in a clear and meaningful way from earlier this year, full transparency is yet to be achieved.
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OpinionNew guidelines provide carrot and stick on DC administration
From the blog: As a trustee, I welcome with open arms the new DC Administration Governance Guidance issued earlier this summer by the Pension Administration Standards Association.
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OpinionRegulation must adapt to protect members in consolidation deals
Consolidation of defined benefit pension schemes to drive efficiencies is not a new concept, but what now dangles before us is the concept of pension consolidation vehicles offering existing sponsoring employers a clean break option within the non-insurance space.
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OpinionSin stocks under scrutiny
Editorial: Responsible investment campaigners notched a significant win last week, with the government publishing long-awaited regulations on environmental, social and governance disclosures.
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Opinion
Should shareholder distribution take a back seat to deficits?
Chris Sier is halfway through an imperious display at day one of the Work and Pensions Committee’s inquiry into pensions cost transparency.
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OpinionMastertrust sector still concerned about new regime
The emergence of mastertrusts, providing retirement savings for millions of members across a range of employers, has transformed the pensions industry, and governing these schemes clearly entails a role of onerous responsibility.
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OpinionZero-tolerance approach needed to tackle scams
Scammers’ eyes lit up when pensions freedoms were introduced. While the reforms empowered retirees with increased flexibility to access their pension savings, the ability to cash in pots early made those same savers an increasingly attractive target for pension scams.
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OpinionSchemes must not let consultants hide behind advice excuse
We all know that trustees should assess the performance and value for money provided by their investment consultants – the real question is how to achieve this.
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OpinionSecurity and accuracy: the pillars of dashboard success
From the blog: The government has called on the industry to develop a pensions dashboard before the end of 2019.
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OpinionSchemes should make space for global real estate
Historically, most UK pension funds have focused on domestic real estate. This contrasts with scheme exposure to many other asset classes such as equities and fixed income, where allocations have become far more globally orientated.
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OpinionESG should be default option for DC schemes
Pensions are a long-term game. Unless they opt out, graduates beginning their careers this summer will soon be investing at least £1 in every £20 they earn for nearly 50 years, thanks to auto-enrolment.
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OpinionSurplus poses opportunities and challenges for PPF
It was recently reported that the Pension Protection Fund is considering distributing some of its surplus.
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OpinionHow will the ageing population affect markets?
Of all the forces set to reshape the investment landscape over the coming decades, one stands above all others – the ageing of the world population.
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Opinion
DC Debate Q3: Updating asset allocations
In the second part of this quarter’s debate, our five DC professionals look beyond the traditional bond and equity portfolio to consider issues including diversified growth funds, alternatives and ESG.
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Opinion
DC Debate Q3: Getting the right amount of risk in defaults
In the first instalment of this quarter's DC Debate, five experts dive into the appropriate amounts of risk and diversification for defined contribution members at various points in their savings journey.
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OpinionTime for schemes to crack down on CEO pay
From the blog: A few weeks ago, the High Pay Centre released its annual report on executive pay at FTSE 100 companies. Unsurprisingly the report highlighted a large increase in chief executive officer pay from 2016 to 2017 – rising by 11 per cent.
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OpinionGarbage in, garbage out
Trustees are usually pretty reasonable in their requests to administrators: They want the right benefits paid to the right person at the right time. That is not too much to ask, is it?
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OpinionThe rise and rise of factor investing
Data Crunch: Factor investing has attracted a lot of attention from the UK pensions industry. Defined benefit schemes have seen factors as a way to diversify their growth assets and achieve greater control of risk, while defined contribution schemes are exploring default investment strategies that may offer better value for money to their members.